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[alonewiththemoon]

Barbaro's Injury Focuses Attention on Ways to Make Racing Safer

Nunamaker, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and the chairman of clinical studies at New Bolton Center where Barbaro is recovering, said fatal and muscle bone injuries occur 1.5 times per 1,000 starts.

When Nunamaker's numbers are taken further, the fatality rate really hits home: Last year, 57,495 races were run in the United States and Canada for a total of 469,644 starts, according to statistics compiled by the Jockey Club. Using Nunamaker's figure, that means about 704 died while racing in 2005 in the United States and Canada, about 1.93 fatalities per day.

"Almost two a day? I think that's an awful lot, don't you?" says Nunamaker. "And that doesn't count a whole group that break down in training."

:-(

Comments

[eeyrg.livejournal.com]

I hope this gets some well deserved attention. Even if they bumped up the racing age by 1 year it wouldn't change training theories much. But, it would give the horses one more year to grow.

Have you ever watched swim exercise for horses? it's pretty neat, we used it on the track a lot with one particular trainer. the horse can work the same amount of miles, but it's low impact and really helps!